[Complete] We meet again
Who: Uzumaki Naruto and Uchiha Sasuke
What: The two of them coincidentally meet in the woods and things just go from there.
When: 21 May
Where: Salkia Forest > Naruto's house, House #4
Warning(s): Sudden rekindling of friendship? Half-nakedness? Um, implications? The equivalent of an A-Bomb?
The woods had become Naruto's second home. He said second home because his first home didn't seem to be his home on Salkia--it was more often than not Neji's home, because the jounin cooked for him every meal of the day. Why? He had offered! And who was Naruto to turn down good food?
In fact, the blond was finishing up doing some hunting. He was currently in his orange high water pants, but he wasn't wearing any shoes (he preferred to go barefoot on the island). He was wearing a fishnet shirt, and a utility belt around his waist, along with a backpack for where he put the items he collected from his journey. His Konoha headband was tied like a belt around his waist, allowing his slightly grown out blond hair to be flown away everywhere in front of his blue eyes.
Naruto had managed to tan a lot since coming to the island, and now his skin was slightly bronzed due to the sun. Not that he minded. He stood up, wiping the sweat from his brow before heading off, towards the town from his spot deep in the woods.
He was hungry. He wondered what Neji was cooking for lunch.
Sasuke left the town behind without looking back.
There was something peculiar about it. Everything was just too... nice, almost like someone's version of the perfect world. And he knew that no such world could possibly exist. His own world was the perfect example, but now his plans for revenge were shot to the ground if what the others he had spoken to were true. That one couldn't leave the island. But whether that was true or not, he had yet to see for himself. It couldn't possibly hurt to try, right?
He headed toward the only place where he could feel even remotely comfortable in: the forest. There might be the chance of running into a monster, but he'd take that chance to at least gauge how powerful they were. Plus, he needed an outlet for all the things happening to him recently.
Briefly touching his chokuto as a tiny assurance for himself, Sasuke headed into the woods. As far as he could see, nothing disrupted the quiet forest, but as soon as he thought that, a flash of orange caught his eye. And there was only one person he knew who would wear that color.
Stopping in his tracks, dark eyes stared at the blond walking toward his direction with indifference, his mind already supplying the name.
"Naruto."
Said blond froze in his tracks at the sound of his name. Usually his name wouldn't garner such a reaction, however, it was really the voice that accompanied it.
The youth stared over at Sasuke. His expression was of surprise. He had been trying to ignore him, but to no avail. And now, here he was.
And suddenly, Naruto felt very vulnerable in his fishnet shirt. He stood, holding the strap of his backpack with one arm, standing a good distance away from the other male.
He wanted to run. The look of a cornered animal was very apparently in his blue eyes, which was strange. Usually when Naruto confronted Sasuke, his eyes quickly turned into that of a predator.
But not this time.
Dark eyes assessed the figure in front of him, taking note of the differences from the last time he had seen Naruto. But overall, Sasuke could see that the blond hadn't changed much at all, though he couldn't say anything skill wise. Whether he was disappointed about that or not, he didn't know yet.
But what did surprise him, though he didn't show it, was that Naruto hadn't charged at him, yelling like he usually did. The slight fidget in the other's stance and the sudden nervous air told volumes and Sasuke could only guess what his problem was.
If Naruto was going to react like that, then this encounter wouldn't go any further than this. He had other things to do other than waste his time with someone who looked like he was going to run any second. Like scared prey.
"Hn." With that, he began to walk again in a different direction away from Naruto.
And Naruto stood.
He watched as Sasuke walked away, ignoring him, snubbing him, as if he were merely some little wild animal he had spotted in the forest, and didn't need to be bothered with it. The blond, however, couldn't bring his feet to move.
But apparently his mouth decided it wanted to work, suddenly.
"That's it dattebayo?!" His voice snapped at Sasuke's back. "A 'hn'? Oh, right, my bad. I forgot the oh so elite Uchiha Clan was filled with a bunch of bastards! Oh, sorry. Not filled. Speckled with the two remaining lives'ttebayo. I tend to forget about the cutback."
Now there was the loud-mouthed, orange-wearing moron he knew.
Stopping in his tracks once more, Sasuke spared a glance at Naruto over his shoulder, face still set in indifference. The jab about his clan should have angered him, but in recent events, he couldn't bring himself to care. No doubt he still would exact his revenge against Konoha, but there was no point in thinking about it if he couldn't even leave the island to do it.
Still, he couldn't just leave it there. "You shouldn't talk about things you don't know about," he said, no emotion in his voice whatsoever as he partially turned around to face the blond.
"What do want me to say to someone who looks like he wants to run away?"
"Phhht. You hardly ever said anything to me when I..." And then Naruto swore under his breath, as he had just then admitted he had in fact wanted to run away. Well. Not like he could really take it back now. He took a cautious step towards him, as if Sasuke was a snake and would lash out at him.
"Well, usually you're the one that runs away," He countered. And it wasn't like Sasuke could really deny it, either.
"Hn. I have more important things to do," Sasuke responded, neither denying nor admitting what Naruto had said.
But even as he said that, what could he do while he was here? Training was the first thought that came to mind, but it would only be useful if he could do what he had intended to do. However, did he really need to exact revenge when his brother was here and well? A part of him still said 'yes' while the more rational part of him wanted to think more about the situation in its entirety.
"If there's nothing else, then..." He started to turn away again.
"Yeah. Nothing else, other than I'm so incredibly happy to see you right now, but other than that, we're done."
The sentence was said with such an idle tone of voice, if one hadn't been paying attention, they wouldn't have commented on it. Naruto, however, wasn't sure if he had wanted Sasuke to hear it or not.
He guessed he would see.
And why was it that he was being affected by the blond's words like when they were twelve?
There was a flash of an image that went through Sasuke's mind, the old Team 7 and following immediately after was an image of his own team, Hawk. Despite his trying to sever the bonds other than the ones of hatred, the one of companionship still somehow linked back to him. Why couldn't they leave him alone? What was it that made them want to keep that bond with him?
He didn't know. Nor did he understand. He was an avenger and he didn't need anyone, yet, they were always around. Without fail.
Looking over his shoulder again, Sasuke let out a slight smirk. "Hn, usuratonkachi."
At the nickname, Naruto merely scoffed. He crossed his fishnet-covered arms under his chest, his blue eyes sliding away from Sasuke, their color more bright and clear with his combination of golden hair and sun-kissed bronzed skin.
"Neeee. Sasuke-teme."
He was quiet, before replying, "Are you heading off to do some exploring? I know the woods pretty well'ttebayo... if you... want a guide." He didn't say company--as Sasuke would be less willing to let him tote along if Naruto mentioned any shape or form of companionship--why was Sasuke so weird like that?
"Weren't you leaving?"
Admittedly, Sasuke didn't know what he wanted. Time to sort through his thoughts about everything that happened so far? An escape from said thoughts that Naruto could very easily provide? Or just try to blank his mind and think about nothing at all?
One way or another, he had a feeling all three was going to happen. It just depended on Naruto. Sure he favored solitary quietness, but he silently admitted to himself that he wouldn't mind the blond tagging along.
"Well, do what you want. I don't care," he said, allowing Naruto the choice.
"Sometimes I wonder if there's anything you do care about." Naruto walked up to him, saddling up beside the dark-haired Uchiha. "But then I remember. Promises of candy and power, strange outfits, bites on the neck..."
Naruto pulled out his l337p0d, sparing it a quick glance and the navigation system popped on the screen, whirling into action. "The woods are pretty big. The further back, the stronger the monsters, but that's where the good shit is'ttebayo! Neji and Itachi have jobs but I'm not too good with the 9 to 5 gig, yeah?"
"Hn. Like you're one to talk. All anyone has to mention is ramen and you'll do anything," Sasuke pointed out as he began to talk, knowing that the other would be right beside him. It was typical Naruto behavior.
Although it was always supposedly there, the feeling of camaraderie was still a foreign concept to him. But old memories slowly surfaced in the back of his mind. Back to times when he had momentarily forgotten his revenge and just... lived. And he knew it was partially caused by the person walking next to him right at that moment.
A slight smirk appeared on his lips once more. "You're simple like that."
"There's nothing wrong with being simple'ttebayo!"
Naruto walked beside Sasuke, because yes, it was a given, one of the few solid facts of life in the world--wherever Sasuke went, Naruto would follow. It was like they were bound together by the red string of fate, and somehow, even if it took forever, Naruto always seemed to find him.
This time, it seemed that string of fate led Sasuke to Naruto, for a change.
Sasuke didn't deign that a response, just resumed walking with no particular direction in mind. He didn't worry about getting lost because eventually they would be able to find their way back to the town. Plus, if Naruto knew the woods like he said he did, then without a doubt the blond would steer them in the right direction.
Not that he would ever admit to being lost; he was an Uchiha after all.
But he was a little surprised that they had yet to meet any kind of monster here. Sasuke wanted to test his skills, to make sure he still had all his jutsus available to him. Not to mention to see if his Mangekyou still worked, never mind the fact that his eyesight would get worse if he used it.
"Where are the monsters?"
"Around." Naruto glanced up from this Pod, looking around. "I've pretty much cleared the area out here today dattebayo. We'll have to go further back to find any--they start to retreat further into the woods where the large beasts are."
As they did, the woods started to get thicker, and hard to pass through. Naruto reached up, swinging himself on a tree branch and over a large thicket of vines. While he could have just as easily jumped over it, well. Leave it to Naruto to find a game for anything.
Soon, a loud, dominating roar sound out from not too far away.
"Dinosaur!" The blond called out, eyes lightening up.
Raising an eyebrow, Sasuke could only guess why at the blond's exuberance. Then again, even he was feeling some excitement at the prospect of a fight. Since Naruto hadn't provided one for him upon seeing him, he would have to make do with the monsters of the forest. That streak of competitive rivalry was rearing it's head like it had when they were twelve, slowly fueling the adrenaline that was building up.
The smirk never faded as he glanced at the blond. "You can stay here and wait, dobe. I'll take care of it."
"Unless today is Opposite Day, you can forget it, jerkface!" Naruto didn't wait for another response, he just waved and took off jumping through the trees towards the noise. "That sweet T-Rex bounty is mine dattebayo!"
And so the chase was on.
Without another thought, Sasuke was off in the direction of the noise. He was not about to let the moron get one up on him after meeting for the first time in a long while. There was no way the blond could best him in anything, much less speed. And Naruto may be Minato's son, but he didn't have the former Hokage's signature jutsu.
A slight burst of chakra allowed him to pass up Naruto, continuing on until the dinosaur was in sight. It was slightly unreal to see it, but it was there nonetheless. Sasuke was quickly learning that nothing was impossible on this island so far. But it had nothing on the Eight Tails that he had fought not too long ago.
Taking out his sword and charging it up with Chidori, he attacked, gauging its strengths and weaknesses, not bothering to see where Naruto was.
"BONZAAAAAIIII!!!!"
And then suddenly, from the air, showered Naruto's signature move. Several of the clones threw themselves into Sasuke's way to slow down his Chidori-charged attack, have lost a real sense of self-preservation due to Naruto's continuous genocide-type abuse they had suffered since he came to the island. The others attacked the dinosaur in question, destroying it until it exploded into a big heap of monies, which was instantly transferred into Naruto's pod.
Now. It was true. Sasuke was faster, he was smarter, and perhaps a better fighter.
But Naruto was a hunter now. And a hunter always got his pray before the predator could.
The blond was still back at the spot where Sasuke had passed him, watching with a bright grin on his face.
"Tch."
A flash of annoyance appeared across Sasuke's face at the brash behavior that Naruto never seemed to lose. How the blond was still alive was probably all just luck on his part. Who knows how else Naruto survived otherwise.
Releasing his chakra from the sword, Sasuke sheathed it as there was no real point in keeping it out since the target had been destroyed. It annoyed him that Naruto had beaten him to it, but even he had to admit that the blond probably knew more about the things on the island than he did. Though his excuse was that he just arrived, but even that sounded lame to his ears.
But next time.
... Which was much sooner than anticipated if that monster creeping up behind the still grinning blond was any indication. In what seemed like a blink of the eye, Sasuke had destroyed the monster with his sword before sheathing it once more.
He glanced at Naruto. "Hn, still a dobe."
"Damn."
Naruto glanced back at where the monster, well, had been. Sasuke moved so fast. He wondered, if he was in Sage mode, if he could keep up. Probably. But Sasuke was built for speed. Small and lithe and... Sasuke... ish. Like a little snake.
"Well, I guess thanks for coming to my rescue, Hebi-chan," Naruto stated loftily, putting his hands on his hips. He looked over at Sasuke, ocean blue eyes twinkling playfully against the expanse of bronzed skin and golden honey hair. "Not that I needed it, but I suppose it was appreciated all the same." He nudged Sasuke gently with his knuckles on the boy's side.
Sasuke glared in disdain at the name that reminded him of the once man who he trained under, but there wasn't any heat in his dark eyes. The slight quirk of the corner of his lips was another sign that he wasn't that annoyed by the blond. This was how they were before he defected after all.
"You would have been that monster's dinner if it weren't for me," he said, lightly swatting away the hand at his side.
Scanning the area, Sasuke wondered if there was anything else to do besides destroy monsters around here. It was almost... boring, if that were the case. Fighting monsters could only entertain so far.
"Is there anything else to do around here?"
"Well... Neji and I went on a date about two weeks ago," Naruto stated, going through the woods. "There's a mall... with the movies, and there's an arcade, and clothing stores, and restaurants and ice cream, and karaoke'ttebayo... it's kind of like one giant vacation island where anyone from psychopaths to ghosts live together... mostly in harmony. I've made a lot of friends! Like a samurai named Kenshin, and this like of aloof guy named Cloud..."
His mind didn't register anything further than the first line. It surprised him that instead of hearing "Sakura" he heard "Neji" instead. After all, hadn't the blond always harped about going on a date with the pink haired girl?
And before he could really think about it, the question slipped out of his mouth. "You went a date with the Hyuuga?"
"Yeah. Oh. Well, not like, that kind of date." Naruto's eyes were on the ground--not because he was trying to avoid Sasuke's gaze, but because he was playing the whole 'walk in a straight line' game, following and imaginary trail. "Well... I mean, we ate out and did a movie and stuff together, and held hands, but nothing like, romantic I guess dattebayo. I mean..." He looked up at Sasuke.
"Neji's doing the baby bang with Itachi, since they're boyfriends and all."
And that caused a falter in Sasuke's steps.
He didn't care what Itachi did in his free time, this was his brother and he could do what he wanted. But if what Naruto was saying is true, then... Itachi and... Neji? A Hyuuga? Did his brother's standards drop down that low?
In the history of their clans -- and as far as he knew -- the Uchiha and Hyuuga never got along with each other. So how in the world did that happen? It just... wasn't possible.
"You're joking," he said in a deadpan voice, a small part of him hoping that Naruto would be true to his prankster title.
"Sorry Sasuke," Naruto stated, giving Sasuke a light pat on the shoulder. "I'm actually not joking. If you don't believe me..." He smiled back at him. "Check up on some of Neji or Itachi's journal entries. I'm sure you'll find a lot of interesting tidbits there!"
Oh. Man. The look Sasuke's eyes had gained was worth it. It really was. Naruto jumped down on a slope of rocks, back towards town. Man, it was getting pretty dark.
"So," He said, deciding to spare Sasuke any more further radiation damage with the A-Bomb of Awesome he just dropped onto his friend's world, "Is your housing figured out yet? If not, you can stay the night at my place--or if you just don't wanna deal with your neighbor."
Housing?
He didn't even know they were given a place to stay here. The first night Sasuke had just parked himself in a tree, not at all bothered by the accommodations. Whether he had been given a place to stay was lost on him. He only figured that he would have to pay to rent a room or something like that and since he didn't have any money, the tree was the next best thing.
"I don't know where I'm staying," he said, still recovering from the shock of hearing about his brother and -- he inwardly shuddered -- the Hyuuga being together. He'd have to talk with Itachi about this.
Sasuke glanced at Naruto, raising an eyebrow. "Are you inviting me to stay with you?"
"Well yeah. I mean, what can you do here, really? Kill me?" Naruto scoffed. "I'll just come right back to life."
The blond looked over at Sasuke, giving him a small smile. "Or is it the fact you're weirded out that I would invite you?"
Having the fact that people couldn't die here being thrown back into his face was starting to annoy Sasuke, but it was an assurance. He still didn't understand how dead people were alive here, but what could he do about it other than accept it? Nothing else besides that.
"Hn." Dark eyes gazed away from those blues. "You seem to have forgotten what's happened between us, like it didn't even happen."
There was a pause. Naruto halted in his walk, slowly looking back at Sasuke again.
"Sasuke," Naruto stated, voice suddenly gaining a serious tone to it. "...I haven't forgotten, believe me. it's hard to forget something that... affects you in the way you have to me. It's hard to let go of something that really hurt you. And you of all people would know that better than anyone.
"But we're not in Konoha, or Fire Country--hell. We're not even on the same planet dattebayo." The blond slowly let his eyes trail up to the darkening sky, then back down at Sasuke again. "All that feels so far behind. Especially because you're here. And... hey. Maybe when we get off this island... things will have to go back to normal.
"But here..." Naruto hesitated at first, before slowly holding out his hand. "I... I think I could make things right. I... I want things to be right. I want you to be Sasuke. My friend. My comrade. My brother dattebayo.
"My... precious person."
Since when had the dobe gotten mature? Sasuke thought to himself as he stared at the blond. A small part of said that it was probably during the time he was with Orochimaru, possibly the moment he ran his Chidori through Naruto during that fight from so long ago. Thinking about it, it almost seemed like a dream, or a nightmare.
Or maybe this island was the dream. It just seemed so impossibly perfect. To be able to leave everything that had happened behind, if only while they were here.
And really, what else could he do? Isolating himself would only take him so far. The Uchiha didn't doubt that Naruto would eventually try to find him and drag him out. Not to mention his brother who he could actually get to know.
It really did sound like a nice dream.
Letting out a silent sigh, Sasuke let the corner of his lips quirk up into something that looked more like a smile than a smirk. The first, honest one since he'd been a child. And he had a feeling that while on the island, it wouldn't be the last.
"Sentimental as always, aren't you Naruto," he finally said.
Maybe he could afford to indulge in this dream a little.
Naruto was feeling the same. His hand was still partially extended.
"Well you know, 'all that we see or seem', ya know'ttebayo?" He gave Sasuke a small smile. "So? Think you can stomach me long enough to stay over at my place? At least until we figure out where you need to go."
A "Hn" resounded, but this time it was more of amusement than anything.
"You don't expect me to take your hand and have us walking the rest of the way out of here like that do you?" He asked, eyebrow raised. In not so direct words, he had agreed to stay with Naruto. If only for the time being. Having a roof over your head was better than waking up with some kind of body pain after sleeping in a tree.
Sasuke looked at Naruto, amusement spreading across his face. "People might get the wrong idea, dobe."
"Pervert!" Naruto exclaimed, his browns nearly shooting up to his hairline. "I just wanted to shake your hand, You know. Like a truce dattebayo!" He wiggled his eyebrows. "Of course, the fact you've been thinking about holding my hand? What other people would think dattebayo? My heart is in a girlish flutter."
"I didn't know you considered yourself like a girl, dobe," Sasuke said, smirk more apparent now. "Color me surprised."
But even as he said that, he considered what Naruto had said. A truce. Wasn't it a truce enough that they were here, on this island and had yet to physically fight each other like their lives depended on it? Then again, this was Naruto. The blond would need something obvious for it to be true.
After a moment's hesitation, he took the other's hand, sealing their truce.
"You're too busy already being colored with rainbow sparkle gay with that outfit your wearing," Naruto said as he shook Sasuke's hand, giving it a soft squeeze. Sasuke's hand was slightly bigger than his--but just barely. He stared at it. It seemd like such a long time...
The last time they shook hands... their hands were so small...
"Come on." The blond pulled his hand away, gesturing over towards town. "I'll shack you up'ttebayo. You'll be surrpised! My room is like, spotless." But that was because he never slept there... not that Sasuke needed to know that.
"I bet your roommate cleans up after you," Sasuke said, walking along the blond towards town. "Either that or you don't live there."
It wasn't long before the trees receded and buildings started to take their place. Dark eyes surveyed the area, taking everything in for the first time in as discreet a manner as possible. It was dark, but the lights that lit up the town were enough to recognize what things were. Plus, he needed to know where the residences were just in case he would be placed there as well.
But really, it was almost too perfect. Peaceful. The opposite of what he was used to, but now that he was here, then he'd have to get used to it like everyone else.
"Hehehehe... more the latter," Naruto stated, grinning from ear-to-ear. "Neji cooks for me everyday... and sometimes I visit Gaara--but, all this craziness with the monsters... well, luckily you came here after, but..." Naruto waved it off.
"Here we are!"
Naruto unlocked the door to a nice house, two story. He opened the door, letting Naruto in. The house was very nice, and clean, mostly because both he and Axel usually weren't in it. he closed the door after Sasuke. "The stairs are to the right, and my room is the first door you see. The bathroom is connected... oh. Are you hungry dattebayo? I really don't have anything you'd probably like to eat... I have some ramen...?"
The house was rather nice looking and if this was something that all the people here on the island got to live in, then Sasuke wouldn't mind it in the least. It was better than living underground with Orochimaru and much better than in the forest or in a tree. He only hoped his own accommodations were as nice.
At the mention of food made him realize how hungry he was though. He honestly couldn't remember the last time he had eaten. But the Uchiha inwardly winced at the thought of having ramen first thing after what was a while.
"Do you have any food stocked? I'm not going to be eating that instant crap you like to eat so much," he said, glancing at the blond.
"I could run to the Restaraunt Alley and grab something while you... have a bath. No offense Sasuke. You don't stink or anything but... you're a little darker than you're supposed to be." He laughed, setting down the backpack. "Lesse... there's... Succulent sushi... um, the Chinese restaraunt... Salkia Cafe... they sell like, burgers and shit um... and an Italitan restaurant'ttebayo..."
He oepened the closet to the right, pulling out a jacket. He shrugged it on. "What sounds good?"
Sasuke glared at Naruto for that little jab. It wasn't like he couldn't help getting dirty while living outside for as long as he had. And now the blond expected him to take a bath? While that did sound nice, he didn't have any other clothes besides the ones he was wearing.
"I don't have anything else to wear, dobe," he said, wondering if Naruto failed to noticed that he didn't have anything else with him besides his sword and weapons pouch.
He ran a hand through his hair, frowning when his fingers got caught in a small knot. "And anything's fine. As long as it's not ramen."
"I have pajamas you can wear. They're in my dresser. We can wash your clothes."
Naruto gave a little wave. "Feel free to use whatever! I'll be right back. Bathe dattebayo!" And then, he left, closing the door behind him.
Blinking his eyes, Sasuke wondered if Naruto was being serious but then he remembered that his was Naruto he was talking about.
With a short sigh, he made his way around the place, finding the blond's room after roaming around for a few minutes. He hoped that the other's clothes didn't consist of nothing but orange. If it was, then he wasn't going to wear any of the blond's things. He would rather die than wear orange.
Pilfering through the drawer, he was relieved to see that Naruto actually own other colors besides his signature color. Grabbing a pair of black pajamas, Sasuke silently thanked that they were almost similar in size as he walked to the bathroom and prepared a bath. Shedding his clothes and putting them off to the side, all thoughts were lost on him once he sank into the hot water.
Maybe things weren't going to be so bad.
Naruto snagged some food from Succulent Sushi, mostly because he could get a discount from his dad working there. He got some tempura california rolls, along with some traditional rolls as well. With a few drinks in tow, he hurried back to his house, walking up the stairway.
"I'm home!" Naruto called out, glancing towards the bathroom. He walked into the bedroom, setting the food down. "I just grabbed some sushi and drinks... I hope that's okay!"
"Hn. It's fine, dobe."
In the doorway of the bathroom, Sasuke finished drying his hair, letting the towel rest on his shoulders and dressed in the black pajamas that he borrowed from Naruto. They were a little short on him, but it was a small difference that wouldn't matter when he slept. Wherever that would be.
Making his way over to where Naruto stood, he looked at the selection and nodded his head in approval. It was better than ramen and certainly better than nothing. Admittedly though, at that point, Sasuke probably would have eaten the ramen, if only to appease his stomach.
Naruto glanced back at Sasuke. His blue eyes glanced over him quickly before slowly turning back to the food. Suddenly, he was...
Wait. What was he thinking about?
"Oh! Um... yeah." He patted the bed, grinning over at him. "You can sleep here after you're done eating."
Seeing the other's gesture to the bed, Sasuke glanced at Naruto with a questioning look in his eyes. "Where are you going to be sleeping?" And a second later, his mind supplied that the blond would probably go to someone else's place to sleep. Like Gaara or the Hyuuga.
And if that was the case, then Sasuke wouldn't care in the least. As long as he had a place to sleep for the night heading out and figuring out his own accommodations, he'd be fine with whatever was offered. With no remorse.
So why did his lips twitch downward at the thought of Naruto spending the night somewhere else?
Instead of thinking of an answer, he helped himself to the sushi.
"Oh, I'll just sleep on the couch." Naruto picked up one of the fried ones, popping it in his mouth. "It's really a loveseat, but... whatever. I'll just curl up there until we find out about your housing."
He took another piece of sushi before taking a sip of his soda. "So, have you found the rest of your posse?"
Sasuke didn't say anything about where Naruto had decided to sleep, though he was surprised that the blond was staying here. And taking the loveseat over the bed, but the Uchiha guessed that Naruto was treating him as a guest. He didn't peg the other to know about such courtesies, but didn't think much more about it.
"If they're here, they know how to find me," he said after swallowing. He didn't doubt that Karin would be the first and the other two would tag along with her. But the fact that they hadn't found him yet, told them that they either weren't here or having trouble. Sasuke believed it to be the former rather than the latter.
"Hm." Naruto himself was hoping they were not on Salika. He really didn't care for Sasuke's team. But then again they were kind of... well. Naruto had a bit of a grudge against everyone and everything Sasuke was around that wasn't a part of Konoha.
Maybe he had missed him that much.
Yeah. That was it.
"In any case, they can take care of themselves."
Even as he said that, Sasuke doubted that was entirely sure. Suigetsu and Karin would probably be at each other's throats and Juugo could go into killer mode without him there to subdue him. But in general they were a competent team when it counted the most.
Finishing the sushi and washing it down with his drink, Sasuke mentally thanked Naruto for the food and a place to stay for the night. There was no way he'd actually say it to the blond. The other would lord it over his head for days.
The blond started to clean up the mess as soon as it looked like Sasuke was done eating. Sasuke hadn't been around Naruto in awhile, so who was he to say how naruto would and wouldn't act?
The blond cleared everything up, checking to make sure Sasuke had pillows, and then headed over to his closet, pulling out a spare blanket.
"Anyway, I'm going to head to bed. I'll be downstairs in the living room if you need anything."
Naruto yawned slightly. He gave Sasuke a smile before blinking. "Oh. Shit. I... well, I guess we can go out for breakfast. Does that sounds okay dattebayo?"
"It's fine."
If there was any kind of food in the house, Sasuke could have cooked something instead of them having to go out, but since the blond never answered his question, he'd just go along with what Naruto suggested.
Placing the towel at the towel at the end of the bed, he rolled his head, taking out any cricks in his neck. Once that was done, he glanced over at the blond for the last time that night. He wasn't about to do his nightly routine with Naruto staring at him.
Naruto merely smiled.
"Goodnight. Uh, sweet dreams dattebayo."
The blond gave a small wave before heading off. His footsteps were heard as he headed down the staircase. Then, he padded across the living room, and plopped into the loveseat.
Damn. It was much smaller than it looked when he was trying to lay in it.
...Oh well.
What: The two of them coincidentally meet in the woods and things just go from there.
When: 21 May
Where: Salkia Forest > Naruto's house, House #4
Warning(s): Sudden rekindling of friendship? Half-nakedness? Um, implications? The equivalent of an A-Bomb?
The woods had become Naruto's second home. He said second home because his first home didn't seem to be his home on Salkia--it was more often than not Neji's home, because the jounin cooked for him every meal of the day. Why? He had offered! And who was Naruto to turn down good food?
In fact, the blond was finishing up doing some hunting. He was currently in his orange high water pants, but he wasn't wearing any shoes (he preferred to go barefoot on the island). He was wearing a fishnet shirt, and a utility belt around his waist, along with a backpack for where he put the items he collected from his journey. His Konoha headband was tied like a belt around his waist, allowing his slightly grown out blond hair to be flown away everywhere in front of his blue eyes.
Naruto had managed to tan a lot since coming to the island, and now his skin was slightly bronzed due to the sun. Not that he minded. He stood up, wiping the sweat from his brow before heading off, towards the town from his spot deep in the woods.
He was hungry. He wondered what Neji was cooking for lunch.
Sasuke left the town behind without looking back.
There was something peculiar about it. Everything was just too... nice, almost like someone's version of the perfect world. And he knew that no such world could possibly exist. His own world was the perfect example, but now his plans for revenge were shot to the ground if what the others he had spoken to were true. That one couldn't leave the island. But whether that was true or not, he had yet to see for himself. It couldn't possibly hurt to try, right?
He headed toward the only place where he could feel even remotely comfortable in: the forest. There might be the chance of running into a monster, but he'd take that chance to at least gauge how powerful they were. Plus, he needed an outlet for all the things happening to him recently.
Briefly touching his chokuto as a tiny assurance for himself, Sasuke headed into the woods. As far as he could see, nothing disrupted the quiet forest, but as soon as he thought that, a flash of orange caught his eye. And there was only one person he knew who would wear that color.
Stopping in his tracks, dark eyes stared at the blond walking toward his direction with indifference, his mind already supplying the name.
"Naruto."
Said blond froze in his tracks at the sound of his name. Usually his name wouldn't garner such a reaction, however, it was really the voice that accompanied it.
The youth stared over at Sasuke. His expression was of surprise. He had been trying to ignore him, but to no avail. And now, here he was.
And suddenly, Naruto felt very vulnerable in his fishnet shirt. He stood, holding the strap of his backpack with one arm, standing a good distance away from the other male.
He wanted to run. The look of a cornered animal was very apparently in his blue eyes, which was strange. Usually when Naruto confronted Sasuke, his eyes quickly turned into that of a predator.
But not this time.
Dark eyes assessed the figure in front of him, taking note of the differences from the last time he had seen Naruto. But overall, Sasuke could see that the blond hadn't changed much at all, though he couldn't say anything skill wise. Whether he was disappointed about that or not, he didn't know yet.
But what did surprise him, though he didn't show it, was that Naruto hadn't charged at him, yelling like he usually did. The slight fidget in the other's stance and the sudden nervous air told volumes and Sasuke could only guess what his problem was.
If Naruto was going to react like that, then this encounter wouldn't go any further than this. He had other things to do other than waste his time with someone who looked like he was going to run any second. Like scared prey.
"Hn." With that, he began to walk again in a different direction away from Naruto.
And Naruto stood.
He watched as Sasuke walked away, ignoring him, snubbing him, as if he were merely some little wild animal he had spotted in the forest, and didn't need to be bothered with it. The blond, however, couldn't bring his feet to move.
But apparently his mouth decided it wanted to work, suddenly.
"That's it dattebayo?!" His voice snapped at Sasuke's back. "A 'hn'? Oh, right, my bad. I forgot the oh so elite Uchiha Clan was filled with a bunch of bastards! Oh, sorry. Not filled. Speckled with the two remaining lives'ttebayo. I tend to forget about the cutback."
Now there was the loud-mouthed, orange-wearing moron he knew.
Stopping in his tracks once more, Sasuke spared a glance at Naruto over his shoulder, face still set in indifference. The jab about his clan should have angered him, but in recent events, he couldn't bring himself to care. No doubt he still would exact his revenge against Konoha, but there was no point in thinking about it if he couldn't even leave the island to do it.
Still, he couldn't just leave it there. "You shouldn't talk about things you don't know about," he said, no emotion in his voice whatsoever as he partially turned around to face the blond.
"What do want me to say to someone who looks like he wants to run away?"
"Phhht. You hardly ever said anything to me when I..." And then Naruto swore under his breath, as he had just then admitted he had in fact wanted to run away. Well. Not like he could really take it back now. He took a cautious step towards him, as if Sasuke was a snake and would lash out at him.
"Well, usually you're the one that runs away," He countered. And it wasn't like Sasuke could really deny it, either.
"Hn. I have more important things to do," Sasuke responded, neither denying nor admitting what Naruto had said.
But even as he said that, what could he do while he was here? Training was the first thought that came to mind, but it would only be useful if he could do what he had intended to do. However, did he really need to exact revenge when his brother was here and well? A part of him still said 'yes' while the more rational part of him wanted to think more about the situation in its entirety.
"If there's nothing else, then..." He started to turn away again.
"Yeah. Nothing else, other than I'm so incredibly happy to see you right now, but other than that, we're done."
The sentence was said with such an idle tone of voice, if one hadn't been paying attention, they wouldn't have commented on it. Naruto, however, wasn't sure if he had wanted Sasuke to hear it or not.
He guessed he would see.
And why was it that he was being affected by the blond's words like when they were twelve?
There was a flash of an image that went through Sasuke's mind, the old Team 7 and following immediately after was an image of his own team, Hawk. Despite his trying to sever the bonds other than the ones of hatred, the one of companionship still somehow linked back to him. Why couldn't they leave him alone? What was it that made them want to keep that bond with him?
He didn't know. Nor did he understand. He was an avenger and he didn't need anyone, yet, they were always around. Without fail.
Looking over his shoulder again, Sasuke let out a slight smirk. "Hn, usuratonkachi."
At the nickname, Naruto merely scoffed. He crossed his fishnet-covered arms under his chest, his blue eyes sliding away from Sasuke, their color more bright and clear with his combination of golden hair and sun-kissed bronzed skin.
"Neeee. Sasuke-teme."
He was quiet, before replying, "Are you heading off to do some exploring? I know the woods pretty well'ttebayo... if you... want a guide." He didn't say company--as Sasuke would be less willing to let him tote along if Naruto mentioned any shape or form of companionship--why was Sasuke so weird like that?
"Weren't you leaving?"
Admittedly, Sasuke didn't know what he wanted. Time to sort through his thoughts about everything that happened so far? An escape from said thoughts that Naruto could very easily provide? Or just try to blank his mind and think about nothing at all?
One way or another, he had a feeling all three was going to happen. It just depended on Naruto. Sure he favored solitary quietness, but he silently admitted to himself that he wouldn't mind the blond tagging along.
"Well, do what you want. I don't care," he said, allowing Naruto the choice.
"Sometimes I wonder if there's anything you do care about." Naruto walked up to him, saddling up beside the dark-haired Uchiha. "But then I remember. Promises of candy and power, strange outfits, bites on the neck..."
Naruto pulled out his l337p0d, sparing it a quick glance and the navigation system popped on the screen, whirling into action. "The woods are pretty big. The further back, the stronger the monsters, but that's where the good shit is'ttebayo! Neji and Itachi have jobs but I'm not too good with the 9 to 5 gig, yeah?"
"Hn. Like you're one to talk. All anyone has to mention is ramen and you'll do anything," Sasuke pointed out as he began to talk, knowing that the other would be right beside him. It was typical Naruto behavior.
Although it was always supposedly there, the feeling of camaraderie was still a foreign concept to him. But old memories slowly surfaced in the back of his mind. Back to times when he had momentarily forgotten his revenge and just... lived. And he knew it was partially caused by the person walking next to him right at that moment.
A slight smirk appeared on his lips once more. "You're simple like that."
"There's nothing wrong with being simple'ttebayo!"
Naruto walked beside Sasuke, because yes, it was a given, one of the few solid facts of life in the world--wherever Sasuke went, Naruto would follow. It was like they were bound together by the red string of fate, and somehow, even if it took forever, Naruto always seemed to find him.
This time, it seemed that string of fate led Sasuke to Naruto, for a change.
Sasuke didn't deign that a response, just resumed walking with no particular direction in mind. He didn't worry about getting lost because eventually they would be able to find their way back to the town. Plus, if Naruto knew the woods like he said he did, then without a doubt the blond would steer them in the right direction.
Not that he would ever admit to being lost; he was an Uchiha after all.
But he was a little surprised that they had yet to meet any kind of monster here. Sasuke wanted to test his skills, to make sure he still had all his jutsus available to him. Not to mention to see if his Mangekyou still worked, never mind the fact that his eyesight would get worse if he used it.
"Where are the monsters?"
"Around." Naruto glanced up from this Pod, looking around. "I've pretty much cleared the area out here today dattebayo. We'll have to go further back to find any--they start to retreat further into the woods where the large beasts are."
As they did, the woods started to get thicker, and hard to pass through. Naruto reached up, swinging himself on a tree branch and over a large thicket of vines. While he could have just as easily jumped over it, well. Leave it to Naruto to find a game for anything.
Soon, a loud, dominating roar sound out from not too far away.
"Dinosaur!" The blond called out, eyes lightening up.
Raising an eyebrow, Sasuke could only guess why at the blond's exuberance. Then again, even he was feeling some excitement at the prospect of a fight. Since Naruto hadn't provided one for him upon seeing him, he would have to make do with the monsters of the forest. That streak of competitive rivalry was rearing it's head like it had when they were twelve, slowly fueling the adrenaline that was building up.
The smirk never faded as he glanced at the blond. "You can stay here and wait, dobe. I'll take care of it."
"Unless today is Opposite Day, you can forget it, jerkface!" Naruto didn't wait for another response, he just waved and took off jumping through the trees towards the noise. "That sweet T-Rex bounty is mine dattebayo!"
And so the chase was on.
Without another thought, Sasuke was off in the direction of the noise. He was not about to let the moron get one up on him after meeting for the first time in a long while. There was no way the blond could best him in anything, much less speed. And Naruto may be Minato's son, but he didn't have the former Hokage's signature jutsu.
A slight burst of chakra allowed him to pass up Naruto, continuing on until the dinosaur was in sight. It was slightly unreal to see it, but it was there nonetheless. Sasuke was quickly learning that nothing was impossible on this island so far. But it had nothing on the Eight Tails that he had fought not too long ago.
Taking out his sword and charging it up with Chidori, he attacked, gauging its strengths and weaknesses, not bothering to see where Naruto was.
"BONZAAAAAIIII!!!!"
And then suddenly, from the air, showered Naruto's signature move. Several of the clones threw themselves into Sasuke's way to slow down his Chidori-charged attack, have lost a real sense of self-preservation due to Naruto's continuous genocide-type abuse they had suffered since he came to the island. The others attacked the dinosaur in question, destroying it until it exploded into a big heap of monies, which was instantly transferred into Naruto's pod.
Now. It was true. Sasuke was faster, he was smarter, and perhaps a better fighter.
But Naruto was a hunter now. And a hunter always got his pray before the predator could.
The blond was still back at the spot where Sasuke had passed him, watching with a bright grin on his face.
"Tch."
A flash of annoyance appeared across Sasuke's face at the brash behavior that Naruto never seemed to lose. How the blond was still alive was probably all just luck on his part. Who knows how else Naruto survived otherwise.
Releasing his chakra from the sword, Sasuke sheathed it as there was no real point in keeping it out since the target had been destroyed. It annoyed him that Naruto had beaten him to it, but even he had to admit that the blond probably knew more about the things on the island than he did. Though his excuse was that he just arrived, but even that sounded lame to his ears.
But next time.
... Which was much sooner than anticipated if that monster creeping up behind the still grinning blond was any indication. In what seemed like a blink of the eye, Sasuke had destroyed the monster with his sword before sheathing it once more.
He glanced at Naruto. "Hn, still a dobe."
"Damn."
Naruto glanced back at where the monster, well, had been. Sasuke moved so fast. He wondered, if he was in Sage mode, if he could keep up. Probably. But Sasuke was built for speed. Small and lithe and... Sasuke... ish. Like a little snake.
"Well, I guess thanks for coming to my rescue, Hebi-chan," Naruto stated loftily, putting his hands on his hips. He looked over at Sasuke, ocean blue eyes twinkling playfully against the expanse of bronzed skin and golden honey hair. "Not that I needed it, but I suppose it was appreciated all the same." He nudged Sasuke gently with his knuckles on the boy's side.
Sasuke glared in disdain at the name that reminded him of the once man who he trained under, but there wasn't any heat in his dark eyes. The slight quirk of the corner of his lips was another sign that he wasn't that annoyed by the blond. This was how they were before he defected after all.
"You would have been that monster's dinner if it weren't for me," he said, lightly swatting away the hand at his side.
Scanning the area, Sasuke wondered if there was anything else to do besides destroy monsters around here. It was almost... boring, if that were the case. Fighting monsters could only entertain so far.
"Is there anything else to do around here?"
"Well... Neji and I went on a date about two weeks ago," Naruto stated, going through the woods. "There's a mall... with the movies, and there's an arcade, and clothing stores, and restaurants and ice cream, and karaoke'ttebayo... it's kind of like one giant vacation island where anyone from psychopaths to ghosts live together... mostly in harmony. I've made a lot of friends! Like a samurai named Kenshin, and this like of aloof guy named Cloud..."
His mind didn't register anything further than the first line. It surprised him that instead of hearing "Sakura" he heard "Neji" instead. After all, hadn't the blond always harped about going on a date with the pink haired girl?
And before he could really think about it, the question slipped out of his mouth. "You went a date with the Hyuuga?"
"Yeah. Oh. Well, not like, that kind of date." Naruto's eyes were on the ground--not because he was trying to avoid Sasuke's gaze, but because he was playing the whole 'walk in a straight line' game, following and imaginary trail. "Well... I mean, we ate out and did a movie and stuff together, and held hands, but nothing like, romantic I guess dattebayo. I mean..." He looked up at Sasuke.
"Neji's doing the baby bang with Itachi, since they're boyfriends and all."
And that caused a falter in Sasuke's steps.
He didn't care what Itachi did in his free time, this was his brother and he could do what he wanted. But if what Naruto was saying is true, then... Itachi and... Neji? A Hyuuga? Did his brother's standards drop down that low?
In the history of their clans -- and as far as he knew -- the Uchiha and Hyuuga never got along with each other. So how in the world did that happen? It just... wasn't possible.
"You're joking," he said in a deadpan voice, a small part of him hoping that Naruto would be true to his prankster title.
"Sorry Sasuke," Naruto stated, giving Sasuke a light pat on the shoulder. "I'm actually not joking. If you don't believe me..." He smiled back at him. "Check up on some of Neji or Itachi's journal entries. I'm sure you'll find a lot of interesting tidbits there!"
Oh. Man. The look Sasuke's eyes had gained was worth it. It really was. Naruto jumped down on a slope of rocks, back towards town. Man, it was getting pretty dark.
"So," He said, deciding to spare Sasuke any more further radiation damage with the A-Bomb of Awesome he just dropped onto his friend's world, "Is your housing figured out yet? If not, you can stay the night at my place--or if you just don't wanna deal with your neighbor."
Housing?
He didn't even know they were given a place to stay here. The first night Sasuke had just parked himself in a tree, not at all bothered by the accommodations. Whether he had been given a place to stay was lost on him. He only figured that he would have to pay to rent a room or something like that and since he didn't have any money, the tree was the next best thing.
"I don't know where I'm staying," he said, still recovering from the shock of hearing about his brother and -- he inwardly shuddered -- the Hyuuga being together. He'd have to talk with Itachi about this.
Sasuke glanced at Naruto, raising an eyebrow. "Are you inviting me to stay with you?"
"Well yeah. I mean, what can you do here, really? Kill me?" Naruto scoffed. "I'll just come right back to life."
The blond looked over at Sasuke, giving him a small smile. "Or is it the fact you're weirded out that I would invite you?"
Having the fact that people couldn't die here being thrown back into his face was starting to annoy Sasuke, but it was an assurance. He still didn't understand how dead people were alive here, but what could he do about it other than accept it? Nothing else besides that.
"Hn." Dark eyes gazed away from those blues. "You seem to have forgotten what's happened between us, like it didn't even happen."
There was a pause. Naruto halted in his walk, slowly looking back at Sasuke again.
"Sasuke," Naruto stated, voice suddenly gaining a serious tone to it. "...I haven't forgotten, believe me. it's hard to forget something that... affects you in the way you have to me. It's hard to let go of something that really hurt you. And you of all people would know that better than anyone.
"But we're not in Konoha, or Fire Country--hell. We're not even on the same planet dattebayo." The blond slowly let his eyes trail up to the darkening sky, then back down at Sasuke again. "All that feels so far behind. Especially because you're here. And... hey. Maybe when we get off this island... things will have to go back to normal.
"But here..." Naruto hesitated at first, before slowly holding out his hand. "I... I think I could make things right. I... I want things to be right. I want you to be Sasuke. My friend. My comrade. My brother dattebayo.
"My... precious person."
Since when had the dobe gotten mature? Sasuke thought to himself as he stared at the blond. A small part of said that it was probably during the time he was with Orochimaru, possibly the moment he ran his Chidori through Naruto during that fight from so long ago. Thinking about it, it almost seemed like a dream, or a nightmare.
Or maybe this island was the dream. It just seemed so impossibly perfect. To be able to leave everything that had happened behind, if only while they were here.
And really, what else could he do? Isolating himself would only take him so far. The Uchiha didn't doubt that Naruto would eventually try to find him and drag him out. Not to mention his brother who he could actually get to know.
It really did sound like a nice dream.
Letting out a silent sigh, Sasuke let the corner of his lips quirk up into something that looked more like a smile than a smirk. The first, honest one since he'd been a child. And he had a feeling that while on the island, it wouldn't be the last.
"Sentimental as always, aren't you Naruto," he finally said.
Maybe he could afford to indulge in this dream a little.
Naruto was feeling the same. His hand was still partially extended.
"Well you know, 'all that we see or seem', ya know'ttebayo?" He gave Sasuke a small smile. "So? Think you can stomach me long enough to stay over at my place? At least until we figure out where you need to go."
A "Hn" resounded, but this time it was more of amusement than anything.
"You don't expect me to take your hand and have us walking the rest of the way out of here like that do you?" He asked, eyebrow raised. In not so direct words, he had agreed to stay with Naruto. If only for the time being. Having a roof over your head was better than waking up with some kind of body pain after sleeping in a tree.
Sasuke looked at Naruto, amusement spreading across his face. "People might get the wrong idea, dobe."
"Pervert!" Naruto exclaimed, his browns nearly shooting up to his hairline. "I just wanted to shake your hand, You know. Like a truce dattebayo!" He wiggled his eyebrows. "Of course, the fact you've been thinking about holding my hand? What other people would think dattebayo? My heart is in a girlish flutter."
"I didn't know you considered yourself like a girl, dobe," Sasuke said, smirk more apparent now. "Color me surprised."
But even as he said that, he considered what Naruto had said. A truce. Wasn't it a truce enough that they were here, on this island and had yet to physically fight each other like their lives depended on it? Then again, this was Naruto. The blond would need something obvious for it to be true.
After a moment's hesitation, he took the other's hand, sealing their truce.
"You're too busy already being colored with rainbow sparkle gay with that outfit your wearing," Naruto said as he shook Sasuke's hand, giving it a soft squeeze. Sasuke's hand was slightly bigger than his--but just barely. He stared at it. It seemd like such a long time...
The last time they shook hands... their hands were so small...
"Come on." The blond pulled his hand away, gesturing over towards town. "I'll shack you up'ttebayo. You'll be surrpised! My room is like, spotless." But that was because he never slept there... not that Sasuke needed to know that.
"I bet your roommate cleans up after you," Sasuke said, walking along the blond towards town. "Either that or you don't live there."
It wasn't long before the trees receded and buildings started to take their place. Dark eyes surveyed the area, taking everything in for the first time in as discreet a manner as possible. It was dark, but the lights that lit up the town were enough to recognize what things were. Plus, he needed to know where the residences were just in case he would be placed there as well.
But really, it was almost too perfect. Peaceful. The opposite of what he was used to, but now that he was here, then he'd have to get used to it like everyone else.
"Hehehehe... more the latter," Naruto stated, grinning from ear-to-ear. "Neji cooks for me everyday... and sometimes I visit Gaara--but, all this craziness with the monsters... well, luckily you came here after, but..." Naruto waved it off.
"Here we are!"
Naruto unlocked the door to a nice house, two story. He opened the door, letting Naruto in. The house was very nice, and clean, mostly because both he and Axel usually weren't in it. he closed the door after Sasuke. "The stairs are to the right, and my room is the first door you see. The bathroom is connected... oh. Are you hungry dattebayo? I really don't have anything you'd probably like to eat... I have some ramen...?"
The house was rather nice looking and if this was something that all the people here on the island got to live in, then Sasuke wouldn't mind it in the least. It was better than living underground with Orochimaru and much better than in the forest or in a tree. He only hoped his own accommodations were as nice.
At the mention of food made him realize how hungry he was though. He honestly couldn't remember the last time he had eaten. But the Uchiha inwardly winced at the thought of having ramen first thing after what was a while.
"Do you have any food stocked? I'm not going to be eating that instant crap you like to eat so much," he said, glancing at the blond.
"I could run to the Restaraunt Alley and grab something while you... have a bath. No offense Sasuke. You don't stink or anything but... you're a little darker than you're supposed to be." He laughed, setting down the backpack. "Lesse... there's... Succulent sushi... um, the Chinese restaraunt... Salkia Cafe... they sell like, burgers and shit um... and an Italitan restaurant'ttebayo..."
He oepened the closet to the right, pulling out a jacket. He shrugged it on. "What sounds good?"
Sasuke glared at Naruto for that little jab. It wasn't like he couldn't help getting dirty while living outside for as long as he had. And now the blond expected him to take a bath? While that did sound nice, he didn't have any other clothes besides the ones he was wearing.
"I don't have anything else to wear, dobe," he said, wondering if Naruto failed to noticed that he didn't have anything else with him besides his sword and weapons pouch.
He ran a hand through his hair, frowning when his fingers got caught in a small knot. "And anything's fine. As long as it's not ramen."
"I have pajamas you can wear. They're in my dresser. We can wash your clothes."
Naruto gave a little wave. "Feel free to use whatever! I'll be right back. Bathe dattebayo!" And then, he left, closing the door behind him.
Blinking his eyes, Sasuke wondered if Naruto was being serious but then he remembered that his was Naruto he was talking about.
With a short sigh, he made his way around the place, finding the blond's room after roaming around for a few minutes. He hoped that the other's clothes didn't consist of nothing but orange. If it was, then he wasn't going to wear any of the blond's things. He would rather die than wear orange.
Pilfering through the drawer, he was relieved to see that Naruto actually own other colors besides his signature color. Grabbing a pair of black pajamas, Sasuke silently thanked that they were almost similar in size as he walked to the bathroom and prepared a bath. Shedding his clothes and putting them off to the side, all thoughts were lost on him once he sank into the hot water.
Maybe things weren't going to be so bad.
Naruto snagged some food from Succulent Sushi, mostly because he could get a discount from his dad working there. He got some tempura california rolls, along with some traditional rolls as well. With a few drinks in tow, he hurried back to his house, walking up the stairway.
"I'm home!" Naruto called out, glancing towards the bathroom. He walked into the bedroom, setting the food down. "I just grabbed some sushi and drinks... I hope that's okay!"
"Hn. It's fine, dobe."
In the doorway of the bathroom, Sasuke finished drying his hair, letting the towel rest on his shoulders and dressed in the black pajamas that he borrowed from Naruto. They were a little short on him, but it was a small difference that wouldn't matter when he slept. Wherever that would be.
Making his way over to where Naruto stood, he looked at the selection and nodded his head in approval. It was better than ramen and certainly better than nothing. Admittedly though, at that point, Sasuke probably would have eaten the ramen, if only to appease his stomach.
Naruto glanced back at Sasuke. His blue eyes glanced over him quickly before slowly turning back to the food. Suddenly, he was...
Wait. What was he thinking about?
"Oh! Um... yeah." He patted the bed, grinning over at him. "You can sleep here after you're done eating."
Seeing the other's gesture to the bed, Sasuke glanced at Naruto with a questioning look in his eyes. "Where are you going to be sleeping?" And a second later, his mind supplied that the blond would probably go to someone else's place to sleep. Like Gaara or the Hyuuga.
And if that was the case, then Sasuke wouldn't care in the least. As long as he had a place to sleep for the night heading out and figuring out his own accommodations, he'd be fine with whatever was offered. With no remorse.
So why did his lips twitch downward at the thought of Naruto spending the night somewhere else?
Instead of thinking of an answer, he helped himself to the sushi.
"Oh, I'll just sleep on the couch." Naruto picked up one of the fried ones, popping it in his mouth. "It's really a loveseat, but... whatever. I'll just curl up there until we find out about your housing."
He took another piece of sushi before taking a sip of his soda. "So, have you found the rest of your posse?"
Sasuke didn't say anything about where Naruto had decided to sleep, though he was surprised that the blond was staying here. And taking the loveseat over the bed, but the Uchiha guessed that Naruto was treating him as a guest. He didn't peg the other to know about such courtesies, but didn't think much more about it.
"If they're here, they know how to find me," he said after swallowing. He didn't doubt that Karin would be the first and the other two would tag along with her. But the fact that they hadn't found him yet, told them that they either weren't here or having trouble. Sasuke believed it to be the former rather than the latter.
"Hm." Naruto himself was hoping they were not on Salika. He really didn't care for Sasuke's team. But then again they were kind of... well. Naruto had a bit of a grudge against everyone and everything Sasuke was around that wasn't a part of Konoha.
Maybe he had missed him that much.
Yeah. That was it.
"In any case, they can take care of themselves."
Even as he said that, Sasuke doubted that was entirely sure. Suigetsu and Karin would probably be at each other's throats and Juugo could go into killer mode without him there to subdue him. But in general they were a competent team when it counted the most.
Finishing the sushi and washing it down with his drink, Sasuke mentally thanked Naruto for the food and a place to stay for the night. There was no way he'd actually say it to the blond. The other would lord it over his head for days.
The blond started to clean up the mess as soon as it looked like Sasuke was done eating. Sasuke hadn't been around Naruto in awhile, so who was he to say how naruto would and wouldn't act?
The blond cleared everything up, checking to make sure Sasuke had pillows, and then headed over to his closet, pulling out a spare blanket.
"Anyway, I'm going to head to bed. I'll be downstairs in the living room if you need anything."
Naruto yawned slightly. He gave Sasuke a smile before blinking. "Oh. Shit. I... well, I guess we can go out for breakfast. Does that sounds okay dattebayo?"
"It's fine."
If there was any kind of food in the house, Sasuke could have cooked something instead of them having to go out, but since the blond never answered his question, he'd just go along with what Naruto suggested.
Placing the towel at the towel at the end of the bed, he rolled his head, taking out any cricks in his neck. Once that was done, he glanced over at the blond for the last time that night. He wasn't about to do his nightly routine with Naruto staring at him.
Naruto merely smiled.
"Goodnight. Uh, sweet dreams dattebayo."
The blond gave a small wave before heading off. His footsteps were heard as he headed down the staircase. Then, he padded across the living room, and plopped into the loveseat.
Damn. It was much smaller than it looked when he was trying to lay in it.
...Oh well.